In its filing, Cordlife also said it has notified another global body, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), regarding the investigations by MOH.
Following this, the association “promptly initiated an extensive post-notification protocol”.
Cordlife Singapore has been requested to provide relevant documentation, complete a root cause analysis and develop a comprehensive corrective action plan to address the issues brought forward by MOH.
“As part of the ongoing investigation, AABB is continuing to collect relevant information to inform (the) next steps regarding the accreditation status of the facility,” the association added.
“AABB shares concerns that clients of CGL (Cordlife Group Limited) and other AABB-accredited cord blood facilities may have as a result of this situation. AABB is actively investigating these issues and is committed to working with CGL to restore a robust quality system to help prevent future adverse events.”
Cordlife said the latest update by AABB will not impact the storage of cord blood units as well, adding that it is engaging with the association and providing them with details about the ongoing investigations.
In a statement, CGL group CEO Tan Poh Lan again apologised to all of its clients for “any distress” that the incident has caused.
“We are working hard to update them on their individual situations as quickly as we can, as well as address the questions and concerns they rightly have,” she said. “Our conversations with the Ministry of Health are continuing and we hope to be able to provide further updates on our progress soon.
“We will be working closely with FACT and AABB to share updates and information as the investigation with MOH progresses.”
Cordlife – which is licensed in Singapore as a cord blood and human tissue banking service, as well as a clinical laboratory service – has been given 14 days to make representations to MOH.